


The Neighbor in 2B

by Monstasparklez



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek (AOS), Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Please be kind and dont rewind
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-10
Updated: 2020-03-25
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:55:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23089732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Monstasparklez/pseuds/Monstasparklez
Summary: Jim doesn't spend a lot of time with his neighbors or wanting to know about them. Until he meets his neighbor half asleep at their door. Dark, chestnut brown hair would splay out lightly, nearly giving the man a halo effect. From what Jim could see in the dim room, he was tanned and even near sleeping, he looked just as grumpy there as he did when he was standing in the hall. Was he always grumpy?
Relationships: James T. Kirk/Leonard McCoy, McKirk
Comments: 18
Kudos: 27





	1. Stardust

Thunderous sounds come from the stairwell towards the roof; air puffing in and out of plush, parted lips. A tattered brown backpack would slap heavily against broad shoulders. Shoving open the door, Jim would stand there like a mad man. His cheeks flushed red from the exertion of getting there, he would see that the lights to the roof had been shut off and he set to work. Blanket there, books on the corner of it and a thermos beside it with a small Tupperware bowl of fruit that he had just finished cutting up an hour earlier. He had to work fast, it was nearly eleven. Connection set, lens there and adjusted to that closer degree. Almost there. Kickstand out, bolts locked. Perfect.

For the next hour, Jim was flat on the ground, his back to the blanket. Books still stacked on the corner. To himself lightly, he would mumble the names of the stars and what constellation they were a part of. One hand outstretched as if he could touch them.

“Happy birthday, pop.” He would say out loud after a while once his watched beeped, letting him know that it was midnight.

Closing his eyes, Jim would fold his arms over his chest and just lay there among the concrete and hissing of air conditioner units. At peace with himself really that his father would be looking down at him from the stardust. Slowly it would bring back a memory to him and his mother in the middle of the pasture at the farm in Iowa

_‘You see that star there, sunshine? That’s your daddy looking at you.’ Winona’s voice would say lightly into an five-year-old Jim’s ear. She had him in her lap with her arms around him as he stared up at the night sky with bright blue eyes. A blanket on the ground with constellation books on the corner with a thermos by the other._

_He would stretch his hand up as far as it would go to try and reach for them. ‘I love you, daddy.’_

A beep would wake the now thirty-year-old from the slight slumber that he was in, causing him to look at his watch. Four in the morning. Two hours to sunrise. With groan, he would start to get up, gathering everything. The bowl empty, having eaten it while he was waiting for the time. Slowly, he would pack up the large thing he brought. Always setting it up, never actually using it. But maybe once he’ll see his father in the stars. When everything was packed and ready to go, he would start the decent down to his fourth-floor apartment. The building wasn’t the nicest and it had some issues with loud neighbors. But it was home and way better than the farm was once his mother had left.

Reaching the landing of the fourth floor, Jim would make it to his door and slowly slid the key into the lock when he saw the man against his own out of the corner of his eye. Jim never ever saw the man, but knew that he lived in the building. He could hear his snores through the very thin walls of it. Another feature that wasn’t very good about it, but it was still home and Jim loved it.

Looking over fully at the man that seemed to be leaning, he saw the scrubs and the shoes. Nurse? Doctor? At least someone in the medical field, they always had weird hours. But the guy just stood there, staring at his door as if it was just going to open up by itself. Deciding not to do anything, the star-gazer would go into his apartment and set his stuff down before getting ready for bed. After all, he had a job to get too later that afternoon. Mid-pause of taking off his shirt and Jim looked back at the door, had his neighbor finally made it in? He hadn’t heard a door close, pulling the fabric back down his chest, he would head out and saw that the mysterious man was still staring at his door; keys now in hand though.

With a shake of his head, Jim would step over and just smile at him, even waving a little.

“You okay there?” He asked, raising an eyebrow at the grunt that he received in response. Try again.

“O'h-kay, Um, I’m Jim your neighbor. You want some help into your place? You look dead on your feet.” Another grunt was all that he received as an answer, so fine. “Alrighty Bones, let’s go.” He told the other man.

Taking the keys from the guy’s hand, Jim would unlock the door and push it open before taking an arm and slinging it over his shoulder. With a quick ‘one-two’ they were inside and Jim was kicking the man’s door shut with his foot. Laying eyes on the layout, Jim would only whistle in amazement. It didn’t look like much, but the living room at least looked like a library. From the overstuffed bookshelves to the tables with the antique medical equipment. No matter, he had to get this guy into bed.

“Where’s that bed of yours? Here?” He asked as he gently pushed a door pen and there was it was, the bed. Laying the man on it, he would get to working taking off his shoes. After all, no one liked shoes in their bed. Another groan from the nearly unconscious being had Jim doing a double take on the man’s look.

Dark, chestnut brown hair would splay out lightly, nearly giving the man a halo effect. From what Jim could see in the dim room, he was tanned and even near sleeping, he looked just as grumpy there as he did when he was standing in the hall. Was he always grumpy? Tossing a blanket over the man, Jim would high-tail it from the room and even the apartment. Feeling pretty good with a nice deed of the day. Even if it was a near five in the morning for it. He would clamber into bed with a smile on his face, when curling up among the many pillows and blankets.


	2. Bus stops

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! Two chapters so far, nuts isn't it? I'm going to try and keep this pattern up as long as I can, but we'll see! Please enjoy the chapter. c:

A shrill beeping wakes Jim from his sleep, the light coming in from his windows didn’t really help all that much. He had forgotten to pull the blackout curtains again, awesome. Sitting up in the bed, the slightly warmed sheets would pool around his waist. Not that it mattered, he was clothed. Jim was a lot of things, but he wasn’t one for sleeping in the nude. Well, not after that incident in college, but that was here nor there.

Rubbing the heel of his right hand into his eye to get the sleep out of it, he would look to his clock and see the time. It was nearly ten. Shit. Pushing the covers off, the man would move about to get ready for his day. A quick shower to freshen up, not that he thought about the brunette yesterday, nope. Stepping out, he looked at himself in the mirror after towel-drying the mess of dirty blonde locks that was his hair. Touching his chin, he mumbled to himself that it wasn’t _that_ long and that he could go a day without it.

A quick brush of his teeth and forgoing his contacts, Jim would slip on a pair of thick, black frames. Clapping his hands, he would head over to the meager closet and select his clothes for the day. After careful consideration, a light blue button up and a dark cardigan with jeans seemed to be a nice fit. Bringing out the color of his eyes. Once he grabbed his bag, phone and keys, the blonde was out his door and heading down the hallway. Four flights later and Jim was heading through the café that was the main floor, grabbing a coffee and bagel on the way out.

“See ya, Jimmy!” A fiery red head would call out, leaning on the counter.

“Have a good day, Jimbo!” A man would call out this time, his Scottish accent loud and clear as he served up someone else’ order.

Jim would turn to have his back hit the door to open it, waved and turned to jog out heading for the bus station. That was usually the only way in and out to the main square, without a car, where the college that he graduated and now worked for was. Everything around him made for a nice day, with a slight breeze and the blonde was glad for wearing the sweater now. Beat having to carry a jacket around. As he hopped and landed next to the shade that was the bus stop, Jim slipped his phone out and started looking at emails that the students left him. Some were panicked, some were worried and there was one that was letting him know that they wouldn’t be in class today. He just shook his head and smiled; his kids were something else.

While Jim was looking at his emails. Coffee and bagel in his other hand, all thoughts of his neighbor yesterday were just gone. Completely focused on the task at hand. Though, he did check his watch and then looked up. Up the street then down.

“Goddamn bus is late…” A voice mumbled, gruff and right next to him.

It took a second, okay maybe two for the voice to actually register and Jim’s head would snap up. Peering up, Jim would look around and then back and there he was. The neighbor in 2B and wow. It was like he was a whole other person. Jim tried not to look, he really did, but wow. That chestnut hair was fixed back, smoothed with some kind of pomade that somehow made the guys hair even softer looking. What the hell??

Flicking his gaze back and forth from his phone to the guy, he breathed deeply through his nose and dared another glance. Was he noticed? No. 2B decided that Jim either wasn’t worth his time or he wasn’t paying attention all that well. It gave him enough time to continue looking. The blonde noticed the fresh scrubs, not a single wrinkle. The backpack, the way his hair was brushed back and even though he still looked grumpy… there was a certain charm to it. Taking a deep breath, Jim would turn to say something; but the bus came up and let out a honk. It stopped and opened the doors and 2B was on it with almost everyone else going up and leaving Jim to be the last one on. Blue eyes desperately scanning over the seats. Where was he??

The bus lurched and Jim stumbled, grabbing a hold of the pole and taking a deep breath, standing and using his knuckles to push his glasses back up. He focused and suddenly blue fabric...? Flicking his gaze over, the blonde was met by the sassiest yet sexiest eyebrow known to man. That gruff expression, laced with concern?

“Y’alright there, kid? Look like you’ve seen a ghost?” 2B said.

If his life was a cartoon, Jim would blink owlishly behind those black frames as he continued to stare at 2B. Confused on why he was talking to him. However, Jim was not in a cartoon and this was real life. He straightened, tugging at the hem of his sweater.

“S-ORRY!” Wow. Yes, that was a crack. Clearing his throat, he smiled.

“Sorry, I noticed out at the bus stop and wanted to make sure you were okay. You might not remember it. But I’m Jim, your neighbor... I helped you into your apartment yesterday.”

A surprised look came over the other man’s face and he lifted a hand up to run it through his hand. “Y’did huh? Sorry y'had ta see that, I had just finished a rotation. Thanks.”

Something about the way he spoke, it sang to Jim’s linguistic little heart there was slang and southern language notes. He waved his hand, phone tucked safely back into his jeans. Can’t have that break after all. However, he just nodded and it fell into a comfortable silence between them and soon Jim reached to pull the cable. Signaling his stop.

“See you later, Bones. This is my stop.” Jim told him and waited for the bus to stop.

Once it did, he exited and started walking. Not even thinking to look back to see what the other man looked like fully. Not that it mattered, he had gotten all the looking he wanted done the other day. With his mind back on work, Jim had completely forgotten about the other man once again until he was in his office had just set down his bag and groaned.

_“I didn’t get his name!”_ Jim shouted.


	3. Laundry Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Then it happened, a knowing smile would cross 2B’s lips, crooked of course and as the doors closed.
> 
> “The name’s McCoy, Leonard McCoy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im super sorry that this took so long to get out. My school closed down for the semester because of the virus. Im trying to switch over to online classes. Please enjoy! c:

Three weeks.

That’s how long it’s been since Jim saw 2B. The sting from not getting his name was still fresh in the blonde’s name and now he’s been more productive than he had been in months. Jim would be up and dressed exactly ten minutes after his alarm had gone off. Down the stairs with his usual coffee and pastry from the couple in the bakery. There was that one time that he saw the man at the bus stop already and arrived fifteen minutes late because he had decided to take an out of the way route than his usual one.

James Tiberius Kirk was a chicken and he fully knew it too. Thank you very much.

So, it had been three weeks and it was a Saturday. Saturday night actually and Jim and his friends were out and about that night. At a bar called, Hendorff’s, Jim and some of the other people that he worked with were with him. They were all huddled into a large circle booth. Jim, next to a dark-skinned woman. High ponytail and killer eyeliner, looking like she meant business, but laughing at what Jim and the others were saying. Her name was Nyota Uhura and she was a linguistics teacher, mostly language while Jim taught Upper English core. She was laughing at something that Jim said.

“You’re absolutely crazy, just talk to him!” She told the blonde, shaking her head. The man with her nodded his head. S'chn T'gai Spock. One of the best Physics professors at the school

“Yes, I would have to agree with Nyota. The only solution is to talk to this individual.” He told Jim as well, sipping at his water glass.

She looked over at the blonde with a smirk. As if daring him to prove that she’s wrong, Jim just sighed. There were a couple of other men at the table; one was Hikaru Sulu, a wildlife professor and Pavel Chekov, who worked with Spock in the physics department. Just as sharp as the older male. Hikaru spoke first.

“I’m gonna have to agree with them too, Jim. Three weeks you’ve been going on about this guy, complaining about how you’ve had to change routes.”

The table bumped, the redhead and the man from the bakery of the building that Jim lived in sat down. She was all smiles. Gaila and Montgomery Scott. Well Scotty, to everyone else. He worked at the bakery and at the university. Engineering courses.

“Ooo, are we talking about your neighbor again?” She asked, knowing full well what his name was, but not telling Jim at all. Scotty was playing along with her game too.

Nyota smiled. “What do you know about him Gaila?”

The redhead just shook her head. “Nope!” She popped that p with matching ruby red lips. “I’ve refused to tell Jimmy anything about him. He’s gotta figure it out on his own.

The whole table erupted into laughter and Jim just groaned.

“I hate all of you.”

\--

After a night of drinking and getting teased by his friends, Jim awoke to his alarm screeching at him. Rolling over, he rubbed at his face and checked the time. It was still early in the morning; life was cruel to him. Throwing off the covers, the blond would strip out of his night clothes and reach for his dresser. A frown appeared on his lips.

“Damn...” Jim muttered and reached in for basketball shorts and an old Cal Tech shirt.

He pulled it all on and looked at his laundry basket. Guess it was finally time to do it. However, he did reach for the bottle of water on his night stand and pulled the basket up. Jim even slipped his feet into slippers. They had kitties on them, a gift from his brother years ago. Throwing the bottle into the basket along with his keys, Jim headed out to the elevator and waited for it. A few floors later and the doors opened. Empty. He stepped in, pushed the button for the basement, the doors shut and with a lurch, he was on his way down.

The trip down to the basement wasn’t really exciting, a few people got on and then go off. Jim would wait patiently for his turn and finally it did and away the blond was, heading out into the little hallway. With a well-timed hip bump, Jim was into the laundry room. Two rows of washers and a back wall of dryers with a few tables was all that existed in the room. Well, that and the wall machine that kept the one-dollar soaps and dryer sheets. Picking a washer, the blond went through the motions. Putting his clothes in, adding the soap and quarters; he slammed the lid and started the machine. Jim even turned to jump onto the washer, pulling his phone out to read something as he waited.

Just in the corner of his eye, he spotted the moment and looked up. There in a chair next to the dryer was 2B. He was looking rumpled and sleepy as he sat... sleeping against the dryer. The warm radiating off the machines. Jim would watch him lightly, trying to focus on the article that he had pulled up. But found that he couldn’t, because now he could look at the other without anything getting in the way. There weren’t any people or buses, or just distractions in general.

Jim eyed the brunette hair, still curious as to how soft it was. To the sun kisses tan skin, how the thin Ole Miss shirt would cling to obviously hidden muscle’d arms. Sweatpants that left nothing to the imagination before sweeping over the simple house shoes. It was cute. 2B wore house shoes. Looking back up to the man’s face, he noted how the wrinkles he had seen last time were softened in the man’s sleep. The whole scene stirred something deep in Jim’s chest. He had to look away and he did, focusing back on phone when the dryer alarm went off. Waking 2B from his nap.

“Morning!” Jim called out, kicking his feet.

2B would just yawn, stretching and showing off a hint of belly hair when the shirt rose. He was up and popping his neck then shuffled to the dryer to get his clothes.

“’Morning. Clothes.”

It was almost comical the way that Jim’s glasses would slide down his nose as he watched the brunette go through the motions of collecting his clothes from the dryer, going to a table to fold them and finally putting them back into his basket. Too sleep deprived to notice how the blond’s mouth would open slightly, then waved as he past him towards the elevator. Blue eyes would continue to watch as he turned and pressed the button. Then it happened, a knowing smile would cross 2B’s lips, crooked of course and as the doors closed.

“The name’s McCoy, Leonard McCoy.”

With a ding, 2B- no, _Leonard_ was ascending further and further away

And all Jim could do was drop his phone into his lap and slowly place his head into his face and pushed up those black frames before letting out a growl of frustration.

Fuck.


End file.
